Just before the students of Mehari Medical School go home for Thanksgiving, Ph.D. James HildresThe school principal sent them a video message via email, which he admitted seemed unbelievable. Or at least they have to listen to it again.

“We will give you $10,000 in cash each,” he said. Looking at camera“You heard me right.”

They were told to deposit directly or pick up the check in person the next day. Hildres, an infectious disease expert who helped lead the Nashville pandemic response, explained that this unconditional gift is money from the CARES Act. A major COVID-19 relief law passed by Congress in 2020. He only asked them to become “good stewards” of windfalls.

After careful consideration, the Mehari government decided to provide approximately one-third of its CARES bill funding-10 million U.S. dollars-directly to future doctors, dentists, and public health researchers. A total of 956 students received payment.

Mehari’s students have actively participated in the pandemic response, manning Nashville’s large-scale COVID testing and vaccination sites. But the money is not an accidental compensation for volunteer work, but an investment in future careers—and it helps overcome the financial barriers that black students particularly face when they become medical professionals.

Although black Americans make up about 13% of the population, the Association of American Medical Colleges found that black doctors accounted for Only 5% The country’s active doctors-an ever-increasing number slowly For more than a century.and learn It was found that black patients often want to be cared for by people who they believe are culturally capable of recognizing their traditions, beliefs, and values ??during treatment.

Mehari Graduates more black doctors Almost better than any other American school.and Half of MD Enter a high-demand but low-income primary health care profession.

“We believe that there is no better way to start distributing these funds than to donate to our students, who will soon make so much contribution to our world,” Hildres said.

When students clicked on the video link, cheers broke out in the library.

Andreas Nelson was silent, he later recalled. He went to his bank app and stared at him in disbelief. “US$10,000 is in my bank account. This is amazing,” he said. “I really can’t speak.”

The Chicago native is completing a master’s degree in health and science in Meharry, hoping to enter its dental school.Average student loan debt in the program Over 280,000 USD in totalTherefore, there is no doubt that 10 Grand will not have much impact on debt.

But the money in his pocket alleviates his biggest worry about paying rent each month. Nelson said that it feels like he is being treated as an adult, which allows him to decide what his biggest needs are in school.

“This is motivation,” Nelson said. “Because it means that for whatever reason, they believe that we will use the money-whether it is student debt, investment or personal enjoyment.”

In general, HBCU students are more dependent on student loans than students in white institutions historically. About 80% of people apply for student loans, According to the analysis of the United Nations Climate Change Fund, Formerly known as the United Black University Fund, they borrowed much more money.

Meharry was founded ten years after the Civil War to help those who were enslaved. However, this 145-year-old institution has been struggling financially, and so have its students.

The reason is rooted in the country’s racist past, which has left the institution Compared with other universities, there are fewer funds available for scholarshipsAnd the wealth of student families is usually less, because the average net worth of black families in the country is about 17,000 US dollars-about One-tenth of the average level of white households.

Meharry’s average student debt is much higher than Vanderbilt University and other regional medical schools at the University of Tennessee, representing private and public institutions.

Almost all colleges and universities receive funding under the CARES Act, but HBCU is more active in providing large amounts of funds directly to students because they tend to have greater needs.more than 20 HBCU The outstanding tuition balance has been cleared. Some have cancelled student fees.

But Mehari is one of the few independent HBCU graduate schools, and it is rare to cut student checks.

“These young people went to medical school desperately,” said Rodriguez Murray, Leading public policy and government affairs at UNCF. “Of course, they have to borrow more money because people who look like them borrow less.”

During the pandemic, major philanthropists developed a new interest in supporting a few HBCU medical schools.Michael Bloomberg Commitment of 100 million U.S. dollars To four institutions, Mehari, To help educate more black doctors.

Meharry students can now apply for a scholarship of $100,000. The US$34 million from the Bloomberg Charitable Foundation is also used for other types of financial support.

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The school now provides expensive test preparation services for free through a company headquartered in Boston. Medical school coach. This service requires payment to the doctor by the hour to help with learning, and the cost can be as high as thousands of dollars.

Although the price is usually unaffordable for cash-strapped students, getting a board license through a benchmark exam is the key to a coveted scholarship, a lucrative professional qualification, or just completing it on time.And Mehari’s four-year completion rate About 70% Lower than most schools.The latest national average is About 82%.

Murray said that for some people, the $10,000 windfall could have a major impact on whether they cross the finish line and become a doctor who can afford all medical school debt.

“Many of these students borrowed a lot of money to fulfill their dreams and become relatively high-income people in the future,” Murray said. “In fact, these students are mainly from a lower socioeconomic background, which means that the funds Mehari turned to provide students are particularly influential.”

This story comes from a partnership, which includes Nashville Public Radio and KHN.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.